Diane Mary Burch

Diane Burch, 86, passed away peacefully at her home in the Cypress suburb of Houston, Texas, on Friday, October 17, 2025.
Diane was raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin, alongside her younger sister, Cyndie. Don't be confused – just a few years later, Diane named her daughter Cyndie, in honor of her little sister.
She attended Catholic Memorial High School, raising her own tuition working part time.
Around 1958, she met Bill Burch (not to be confused with her son of the same name). They married and moved to California. There they had their daughter, Cyndie, then relocated to Germany where their son was born, then back to California where they stayed for several years.
Diane loved the Bay Area, where she raised their young children, did some modeling, worked temporary jobs, and began to explore her artistic side.
In 1970, when her husband Bill was transferred to Texas, Diane – ever resourceful – started taking on temp work again. But she quickly saw ways to improve the industry and soon launched her own company from their converted garage: Quality Temporary Service (QTS).
Diane built QTS into a respected organization, with three locations – none of them in garages – serving Houston's major business districts. By 1988, a larger competitor made her an offer she couldn't refuse. At just 50, Diane sold the business and, though she occasionally dabbled in work afterward, it was purely by choice.
She later lived in a charming suburb of Philadelphia before settling in a lovely lakefront home in North Carolina. Eventually, she found herself missing her children and had to decide whether to return to Houston to be near daughter, Cyndie, or to San Diego to be near son, Bill. When Bill and his wife, Shirley, announced they were expecting, the decision became easy.
Diane loved her years in San Diego, surrounded by her two grandsons and immersed in her new passion: watercolor painting. She became an accomplished artist, producing a great many beautiful works inspired by the stunning scenery of Southern California.
When Bill and his family began full-time travel, Diane returned to Houston to be near Cyndie, marking the beginning of her final and very full chapter. She continued painting, traveled extensively with Cyndie, and enjoyed the rich cultural life Houston has to offer.
Houston was also the perfect place for her life-saving kidney transplant. A generous woman named Suzanne gave Diane one of her kidneys, granting her eight more wonderful years. Diane cherished that gift and cared for her health with diligence and gratitude.
Throughout her life, Diane remained steadfast in her faith and her love for Jesus Christ. Nothing was more important to her. She served His kingdom in many ways-taking in foster infants during the 1970s and visiting "little old ladies" (as she fondly called them) well into her later years. She brought stability and love to the little ones, and laughter and companionship to the elderly.
When asked how she died, the best answer is simply that she died of old age. Her kidney function was still good, but her body had grown tired. And that's okay-because now she's home with the Lord, in eternal peace and joy.
Diane is survived by her daughter, Cyndie McNamee and her husband John in Houston; her son, Bill Burch and his wife Shirley in San Diego; her grandsons, Will, of Carlsbad, California, and Henry and his wife Hazel, of San Antonio, and sister, Cyndie Mullikin and her husband, Ron.
A celebration of Diane's beautiful, well-lived life will be held on Saturday, November 8, at 10:00 a.m. at Cornerstone Methodist Church in Houston, Texas.